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Maple 101

7 Reasons to Choose Maple Products from Québec

The unique taste and benefits of Maple Products from Québec make them much-desired
by consumers and chefs around the world. Each and every barrel of maple syrup is authenticated,
and year-round supply is guaranteed, thanks to the World Reserve set up and managed by the
Federation of Québec Maple Syrup Producers. Furthermore, dozens of Québec companies
can efficiently provide you with maple products already packaged in convenient
small containers, ready for export.

Here are just some of the benefits of going with Maple Products from Québec.

01

Health and wellbeing

02

Steady Supply

03

Easy substitution

DISCOVER

The Benefits of Choosing
Maple Products
from Québec

04

PRACTICAL FORMATS

05

Unique flavour

06

Industrial quality

07

Ecological wealth

01 Health and wellbeing

01 THE BENEFITS OF MAPLE

A natural sugar

Consumer demand for natural and minimally processed foods has been rising exponentially
for many years now. Maple Products from Québec are 100% pure, placing them at the heart of
this trend. Constituted of one ingredient—maple sap—they contain no artificial dyes or flavouring
and no preservatives. Conversely, maple products contain vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.

02 Steady Supply

02 STEADY SUPPLY

Guaranteed supply and constant quality

Thanks to the World Reserve of Maple Syrup, a 100% Québec initiative, supply is guaranteed all year round.
So is the taste of our maple syrup, produced at the rate of some 200,000 barrels each year in Québec and
uthenticated by our “maple sommeliers.” All these barrels of maple syrup are also inspected and graded
by an independent organization.

03 Easy substitution

03 EASY SUBSTITUTION

A substitute for other sugars

For most recipes, maple syrup can easily be used to replace an equal amount of sugar. To substitute
for a cup of sugar, just reduce the quantity to 60 ml (¼ cup) of liquid in the recipe. If syrup is to be used
to replace a liquid sweetener like honey or agave syrup, just keep the quantity the same.

04 PRACTICAL FORMATS

04 PRACTICAL FORMATS

A wide range of formats

From bulk sizes to small containers for restaurants, there’s a great variety of formats on offer
from the many packagers of Maple Products from Québec who supply through FPAQ.

05 Unique flavour

05 UNIQUE FLAVOUR

Unrivalled taste, unrivalled pleasure

Maple Products from Québec are rich in the much-heralded fifth taste—umami.
That’s why they enhance the taste of foods to which they’re added,
and are sought by the greatest chefs in the world.

06 Industrial quality

06 INDUSTRIAL QUALITY

Industrial-grade maple syrup at an excellent price

This maple syrup is made exclusively for the processing market, due to its organoleptic characteristics,
and at a more favourable price.

07 Ecological wealth

07 ECOLOGICAL WEALTH

Unexpected environmental benefits

In Québec, the 34 million maple trees in production provide environmental goods and services essential
to human well-being. The monetary value of these goods and services amounts to 1 Billion dollars
(Canadian) per year.

The maple stands in operation are protected by the Loi québécoise sur la protection du territoire et des activités agricoles.
Each individual who chooses maple products contributes to not only ensuring the sustainability of these maple trees
and their environment benefits, but also to increasing the area of natural forests under production.

Products and suppliers

Buy Maple Products from Québec

Select the maple product you wish to get a customized list of providers and their contact information.
To buy maple syrup by the barrel and/or NAPSI-certified maple water, consult, respectively,
the Buy Maple Syrup from Québec in Bulk page, and the napsi.ca web site.

Decacer

Classification guidelines

The new government regulations for the classification of maple syrup are now in effect.
This new grading regime separates maple syrup into two categories and four colour classes.

As of December 13, 2016, maple products for export are labelled in accordance with the
new classification system. Containers of maple syrup for sale in Québec, however, may display
grading by the old or new regulations. Maple producers who sell only in Québec
have until December 2017 to change the labelling of their products
to reflect the new classification system.Grade A
Grade A maple syrup is obtained only by concentrating maple sap, does not ferment,
is clear and uniform in colour, is free of objectionable odor or taste,
and has a maple flavour characteristic of its colour class.Processing Grade
Processing Grade maple syrup is obtained only by concentrating maple sap,
ut it does not qualify for Grade A.

Certifications

There are a number of different certifications for Maple Products from Québec, each attesting to
a particular mode of production and all affirming their superior quality.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

Since Maple Products from Québec are all-natural and locally-produced, you may well ask what
the difference is between organically-certified maple syrup and “classic” maple syrup.
They’re both made in the same fashion. 100% pure Québec maple syrup is produced
by boiling the maple water, containing about 2% sugar, until it reaches 66 degrees Brix.
At this density, the maple syrup is stable and resistant to alteration.

The differences between classic and organic syrup actually reside in the way the sap
is collected and the product is managed. This involves maintenance of the maple stand,
the biodiversity requirements, cleaning products for the equipment, auxiliary technology,
and the proper type of storage containers. Some of these practices have also been adopted
by classic syrup producers, so they often overlap with those required by organic producers.

In Québec (as elsewhere), for a product to be certified “organic,” a maple syrup producer
must complete a certification process usually administered by a province or state, a federal
government agency or an organization so mandated by the government. Producers accept
the responsibility to keep records on an ongoing basis and to undergo periodic
inspections that verify their compliance. Most organic certifications forbid the use
of non-approved cleaning and disinfection products, among other things.

Practices must also be undertaken to protect the health of maple stands, including a limited
number of taps per tree. The producer working organically observes standards that ensure
the entire process and all practices related to the health of the sugar bush are designed
to improve product quality and environmental sustainability. Producers with organic
certification commit to respect these requirements, ensuring that consumers who
choose to buy organic food are getting what they want. It bears noting that Canadian
regulations on organic production are amongst the most stringent in the world.

KOSHER CERTIFICATION

Maple Products from Québec that are certified kosher meet the requirements of Jewish dietary law.
All production steps and all equipment used are inspected by a rabbi, who ensures that every
element that comes into contact with the maple products are also certified as kosher.
This includes the equipment, the cleaners used to wash it and the various additives
that stabilize the foam at the time of boiling.

NAPSI-CERTIFIED MAPLE WATER

NAPSI is a certification for maple water. It was established by the Federation of Québec
Maple Syrup Producers in 2013, after several years of research. This certification guarantees
a taste experience that’s like a drink freshly-drawn from the maple tree.

Québec’s own NAPSI certification ensures a clear, translucent appearance, with freshness and beneficial
properties long-provided by the maple tree…as represented by the NAPSI acronym:

Natural Authentic Pure Sterile Integral

• Harvest of maple water from the forest, and storage

• Transport of maple water from site to processing plant

• Stabilization of maple water

• Bottling of maple water

• Authentication of finished product

For more information on maple water and NAPSI certification, go to napsi.ca.

OTHER CERTIFICATIONS

Some processors hold quality certifications such as SQF, BRC FOOD and FSSC 22 000.
Find out more in the Products and Supplierssections.